Placement

NexGoal continues to match our athlete-candidates with great roles in corporate America, including the recent placement of Dan Backler, a former collegiate swimmer at the University of Massachusetts with MioMed Orthopaedics Inc.

Based in Chicago, IL, MioMed Orthopaedics Inc. specializes in orthopedic surgery, orthopedic rehabilitation, and sports medicine. As a territory sales representative, Backler will be building his relationships with surgeons in the OR and managing all sales activities.

Backler, a standout swimmer at UMass, was a conference champion in the 100 Breaststroke as a senior. He holds the school’s second-best times in the 100 and 200 Breaststroke and was a 4x YMCA All-American in high school.

“NexGoal has helped me gain entry into Orthopedic sales through a fantastic company in MioMed. The role perfectly fits my background and is a leap in the right direction towards my medical sales career. It was great and easy working with everyone at NexGoal, especially Kevin Dahl. Thank you!”

“Dan personifies what we look for in our athlete-candidates,” said Kevin Dahl, co-founder of NexGoal. “He’s a driven, motivated young professional and as a candidate, he was a pleasure to work with. His determination and work ethic will take him far in his career.”

Specializing in placing former athletes (collegiate, Olympic, and professional), NexGoal works directly with their corporate clients in a variety of industries to place our athlete-candidates in open roles. Our recruiting processes and relationships enable NexGoal to take the stress out of the process for both sides.

Tired of job hopping? What are some of the reasons and why some candidates are looking for a long-term position.

It is tough to tell these days whether “job hopping” is a good or bad thing. Some say it’s a sign of indecision or a flaky employee. Others point to a generation of workers that want more opportunity and satisfaction in their careers.

Last weekend, Sam Gagner, an NHL player was traded twice – in one day – from the Edmonton Oilers to the Tampa Bay Lightning, and then to the Phoenix Coyotes.

During an interview, actress Patricia Heaton described the “survival jobs” that she held while she was starting out as an actress. These positions offered her the opportunity to audition and take acting classes, building the foundation of her career.

Could Gagner and Heaton be considered “job hoppers?”

Should candidates looking for a new, different, better job opportunity be blamed? A recent article in Forbes stated that the average raise an employee can expect in 2014 is 3%. However, if an employee leaves a company, they can look forward to a 10-20% increase in salary. Some have even seen a 50% increase.

What other factors could attribute to a resume that at a glance looks as if it belongs to a “job hopper?”

A logical shift: not just financial, but location, environment, a step up in your career.

A layoff: budget cuts, mergers, your employer relocated.

Jobs during college: lining up temporary employment, or a job that will work with a class schedule.

The industry: in some industries, it is common place – IT (42%), Leisure/Hospitality (41%), Transportation (37%), Retail (36%), and Manufacturing (32%).

If your resume is populated by different jobs, and you run into a hiring manager who is stuck in the “job hopping is bad” point of view, what can you do?

Be able to explain – and be honest.

Frame the conversation in your favor: you weren’t ‘bored’, you were looking for a challenge. List your accomplishments the experience you gained. Was it time to take the next step in your career?

If you’ve had a lot of similar short-term gigs, list them under one heading, especially if you’ve worked as a contractor. Each position can be listed as a bullet point under that heading with only the most crucial points or accomplishments in each role.

Keep irrelevant work off your resume. So you had a “survival job” while you were looking for a position in your field after a layoff or just after you graduated? That bill-paying job doesn’t define your career, leave it off.

Have a great cover letter, and demonstrate your interest in securing a long-term position. Yes, easier said than done, but be able to sell who you are and what you have to offer. Illustrate how your previous work experiences fit within the job description and make you a desirable candidate.

There’s no magic pill or definitive answer. But maybe it’s time to retire the term and mentality associated with “job hopping” and look at the candidate and their body of experience – no matter where it was gained.

NexGoal recently placed Patrick Harrington, a former Ohio State University wrestler with WestPoint Wealth Management LLC.

WestPoint Wealth Management delivers “comprehensive, state-of-the-art financial solutions to a select group of executives, business owners and other successful individuals and families who have unique planning and wealth management needs for many years.”

“NexGoal has been instrumental in delivering high-quality financial services candidates to us over the past several years,” said WestPoint Wealth Management managing partner Curt Lindsay. “Their ability to facilitate the relationship between our firm’s hiring manager and the candidate has allowed us to move quickly through the hiring process. They have also been extremely easy to work with.”

Harrington was a letterwinner and earned Academic All-Big Ten Conference honors at Ohio State. He is still second all-time with a 63-0 record as a high school wrestler at Sandusky St. Mary’s in the Ohio State High School Association record books.

“NexGoal took the time to go over my aspirations and gave me a great view of different career paths before presenting to me the corporation of my choice,” added Harrington. “Their staff really helped me through the entire hiring process.”

A pair of reports released to start January have indicated steady growth in both the manufacturing and construction industries.

According to the December 2013 Institute for Supply Management’sReport on Business, economic activity in the manufacturing sector expanded in December for the seventh consecutive month. The monthly survey of purchasing and supply executives also indicated an increase in the New Orders Index to 64.2% (its highest since April 2010) and the Employment Index to 56.9% (its highest since June 2011). Of the 18 manufacturing industries, 13 reported growth in December.

The Commerce Department reported that construction in the United States rose to its highest level in nearly five years in November due to a swell in private construction projects. Spending on construction rose 1% to an annual rate of $934.4 billion, its highest level since March 2009, marking the eighth consecutive month that construction spending increased.

Spending on private residential projects reached its highest point since June 2008 and nonresidential structures, such as factories and gas pipelines, were at their highest in 11 months.

The full Manufacturing ISM Report on Business is available here, including quarterly breakdowns of each area surveyed and quotes from the participants.

NexGoal has placed Michael Kordel, former Ohio State University swimmer, as a sales representative with the recently-formed O’Neal Flat Rolled Metals in Cleveland, Ohio.

In January 2012, TAD Metals and Metalwest “combined forces to to bring their customers a greater experience in carbon and non-ferrous flat rolled products” to form O’Neal Flat Rolled Metals. Taking pride in providing their customers expertise, speed, efficiency, and value played into Kordel’s competitive and professional background.

An All-American and All-Ohio swimmer at St. Edward High School, Kordel joined The Ohio State University men’s swimming and diving team. A scholar athlete, he was a Big Ten Conference finalist in the 400-yd freestyle relay and was a U.S. National qualifier in the 100-yd. freestyle event.

After completing his degree in four years, Kordel spent several years working in advertising sales before working as a technical recruiter. Familiar with the process, he entrusted Angela Berardinelli’s experience as a fellow former collegiate athlete and recruiter.

“NexGoal helped me to find a new career path right when I needed it most,” said Kordel. “Their staff prepared me for each interview and gave me the upper hand that helped me to further my professional career with a well-respected and well-known company. I would highly recommend their services to any former athlete looking for a leg up on the competition.”